ISLAMABAD, Apr 27 (APP): Minister for Planning, Development
and Reforms Prof Dr Ahsan Iqbal has said that youth must commit to
enter Pakistan among top ten most development countries by paying
focus on their future and work hard.
He stressed upon the youth not to listen those who were
discouraging the nation as depressed nations could not achieve any
goal.
He stated this while attending the event “Microsoft’s Imagine
Cup to Pakistan” jointly organized by Microsoft and Higher Education
Commission (HEC) held here late Wednesday.
The minister said, “We are the most innovative nation in the
world”.
“Presently Pakistan has been changed into the most emerging
economy of the world from the list of most dangerous countries
declared by the western media three years ago,” he added.
He said that world’s reputed organization surveys had projected
Pakistan among the top 20 economies of the world in next few years.
A lot of youth schemes had also been initiated by the PML-N,
including Laptop scheme, Fee-Reimbursement scheme etc, he informed
the participants.
The entire country was being connected through China-Pakistan
Economic Corridor (CPEC), he said and added that fiber optic data
cable was also being installed from Khunjrab to Pakistan under the
project.
“We will train best researchers and scholars through world’s
renowned universities under the initiative of Pak-US Knowledge
corridor. These professionals will give training to the national
youth,” he added.
He also hailed the Microsoft-HEC initiative for holding
Imagine Cup 2017 and announced Rs 1 million for universities working
for incumbent research and their students making new innovations.
He urged the HEC to hold international University’s Olympic
Competition so that Pakistani students could get a chance to work
with the researchers of world’s renowned educational institutions.
The Director of Microsoft’s Enterprise & Partner Group
Segment, Abid Zaidi commented on the occasion; “The link between
education, attainment and economic growth has never been clearer.
Around the world, the communities where educational excellence is a
high priority, create the most economic opportunities.The foundation
for sustainable economic growth for the future is being laid,
through this initiative.”
The Country Head of Microsoft, Shahzad Aslam Khan stated:
“Talent has no boundaries! Any student can derive great benefits
from the Imagine Cup, as it provides world-class opportunities and
support for the youth, nurturing their true potential and giving
them a chance to do something extraordinary and accelerate growth”.
Director General IT, Anwar Amjad appreciated the event and
commented that; “The platform provided by HEC to the students is
truly unique in as it promises valuable exposure that they need to
take the next steps in Academic life, helping them with a successful
transition into their professional careers.”
The Chairman HE, Prof Dr Mukhtar Ahmed expressed his happiness
and said; “We appreciate the valuable support of Microsoft in this
initiative, as Higher Education Commission strives to nurture the
students’ talents through this annual competition. This is a great
way to evolve a rich and modern academic culture in Pakistan, as we
integrate global advancements and cutting-edge tools to bring the
domestic curriculum and learning at par with the leading
universities of the world. Thus, we are empowering our students to
contribute and compete in the global workforce”.
Microsoft and Higher Education Commission (HEC) collaborated
to bring Microsoft’s Imagine Cup to Pakistan. It is the world’s most
renowned technology competition for students. Started in 2003,
Microsoft’s Imagine Cup is the ideal opportunity for the youthful
innovators, from around the world, to give express their
imagination, bring ideas to life and win $100,000.
Imagine Cup is held annually by Microsoft Corp., bringing
together the young technologists to play their part in resolving
some of the world’s toughest challenges. Not only a competition,
imagine cup serves as a platform for teams to present their
solutions to the world. All technology projects are welcome in this
competition; it is no longer bound by categories.
HEC’s commitment to the academia and students is reflected as
Microsoft drives the Imagine Cup to highlighted Pakistan’s position
on the leaderboards – Pakistan ranks as the TOP country in the
Middle East and Africa cluster, with the highest number of project
submissions and competitors in Imagine Cup. Pakistan also ranks 5th
worldwide, in the same category.
In Pakistan, students from various universities participated
enthusiastically, as the competition received an overwhelming
response. A lot of remote and underprivileged areas were targeted in
the drive for Imagine Cup, particularly Sahiwal, Mianwali, Khuzdar
and Jamshoro.
Students were initially evaluated in Regional finals, held in
different cities and the best teams competed to win the National
Finals. The evaluations for both Regional and National Finals were
done according to the rules, regulations and criteria listed in 2017
Imagine Cup Competition.
The winning team of the Imagine Cup National Final from
Pakistan was `Positive Zero’ from Bahria University, Karachi. The
victory was announced during a grand ceremony. The team has built a
Microsoft Azure cognitive service-based engine that helps in writing
code through voice commands. The team will represent Pakistan in the
advanced stages of the competition on a global scale.